Boundary:

North: the boundary of RailCorp property fronting Banks Street and Little Reserve; East: 5m east of the end of the platform; South: the boundary of RailCorp property fronting Howard Road; West: 5m west of the end of the platform (including the overbridge).

All addresses

Street Address

Suburb/town

LGA

Parish

County

Type

Memorial Drive

Padstow

Bankstown

Primary Address

Howard Road

Padstow

Bankstown

Alternate Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name

Owner Category

Date Ownership Updated

RailCorp

State Government

RailCorp

State Government

RailCorp

State Government

Statement of significance:

Padstow Railway Station - inclusive of the 1931 platform building and island platform is of local heritage significance. Padstow Railway Station has historical and associational significance for its role as the impetus for the suburbanisation of Padstow and its role as a transport hub for the suburb of Padstow since 1931, and as a major public capital works project completed as an unemployment relief project during the Great Depression, and as the site of the "Turning of the first sod" ceremony beginning the construction of the East Hills line in 1927 and the official opening ceremony for the East Hills Line in 1931by NSW Premier Jack Lang.

The Padstow Railway Station 1931platform building is of aesthetic significance as an austere 1930s platform building with simple Inter-war Art Deco detailing and fine brick workmanship that is evocative of the effects of the Depression on building programs for NSW Railways. Padstow Railway Station is representative of the cohesive collection of 10 East Hills line railway stations from Turrella to East Hills.

Date significance updated: 05 Jul 09

Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the OEH copyright and disclaimer.

CONTEXT
Padstow Railway Station is entered from Howard Road and Memorial Drive, Padstow.

PLATFORM BUILDING (1931)
Exterior: A rectangular dark face brick building of standard stretcher bond brickwork, of 5 bays length, with the bays defined with engaged piers. The building has a brick stepped parapet at the eastern end only featuring 3 vertical lines of projecting decorative brickwork and a projecting brick moulded capping course with a pair of rectangular timber louvred vents below. The roof at the eastern end of the building forms a projecting gable end with a hipped awning returning around it. The awning roofs are integral with the main roof of the building. The parapet at the western end of the platform building was demolished c.1970s [verbal advice from Station Master, March 2009]. The western end of the roof of the building now has a simple hipped roof form. The building has modern timber flush doors. The building has recent corrugated steel roof cladding. Original window openings feature bullnose brick sills and both window and door openings have stop chamfered brickwork. Original door openings have terrazzo thresholds. Original windows were either typical timber framed double hung or small timber framed windows. Some original timber framed double hung windows and small timber framed windows are extant, however, some window and door openings have been bricked up. Original timber framed double hung windows have 6 paned top sashes and a single vertical glazing bar to the bottom sashes.

Interior: (2001 report): The building comprises a combined booking/parcels office (also used as the Station Master's room in 2001), ladies toilets, waiting room and men’s toilets. The building has been modified internally, though the general layout and some interior joinery and fitout remains.

PLATFORM CANOPIES (2003)
There is a modern canopy structure on steel posts with concrete bases and a gabled corrugated steel roof running from the western end of the platform building to the lift under the footbridge to the west. There is another modern flat roofed canopy structure on steel posts with concrete bases, with a corrugated steel gabled roof, running from the eastern end of the platform building to the eastern end of the platform.

OVERHEAD BOOKING OFFICE/FOOTBRIDGE (2003)
The overhead booking office and pedestrian footbridge structure was constructed in 2003 and is a completely modern structure, with 3 shops, covered ramps and steps at both street entrances, lift, ticket and Station Master’s office and toilets.

MOVABLE
NSW Railway heritage listed sites contain significant collections of stored movable railway heritage, including furniture, signs, operational objects, ex-booking office and ticketing objects, paper records, clocks, memorabilia, indicator boards and artwork. Individually, these objects are important components of the history of each site. Together, they form a large and diverse collection of movable objects across the NSW rail network. Sydney Trains maintains a database of movable heritage. For up-to-date information on all movable heritage items at this site, contact the Sydney Trains heritage team.

1970s: Platform building: new roof form at the western end of the building and the loss of the original brick stepped parapet at this end.
2003: Construction of overhead booking office, footbridge, toilets, lifts, stairs.
N.d: Bricking up of original door and window openings to platform building.
2010: The Cahors Rd Overbridge was rebuilt and re-named Memorial Drive Overbridge.

Current use:

Railway Station

Former use:

Nil

History

Historical notes:

The suburb was named after the Padstow Park subdivision (1890-1900), itself named after a town in Cornwall. The estate was a subdivision of land granted to 3 settlers: Simon McGuigan, Joseph Cunningham and Michael Conroy, and included the area situated around the railway station. Padstow remained rural until the railway line came through: for example the "Bankstown farmlets Ryans Estate" subdivision in the Padstow area was offered for sale in 1907 as "farm blocks of 1 to 10 acres".

The main impetus for the construction of the East Hills line was from the real estate industry, which wanted to develop the area where the line was proposed. However construction of the line was delayed, and it became an unemployment relief project during the course of its construction due to the onset of the Great Depression.

"The Public Works Committee recommended the line to State Parliament in August, 1924, expecting a small operating profit and opening up good building land. The debate on the Bill to construct the line took only 15 minutes after it was introduced at 5.12am on 17 December 1924, and the Governors assent given on 23 December, but no funds were provided. Just before the State elections in 1927, the Premier, Jack Lang, performed the 'Turning of the First Sod' ceremony at Padstow on 3rd September 1927, but he lost the election. However, the new non-labour government in April, 1928, instructed the Railways Commissioners to commence work on the line." (www.canterbury.nsw.gov.au).

Jack Lang (possibly the most controversial Premier in NSW history) was Premier for two periods: the first from June 1925 to October 1927, the second period (during the Depression) from October 1930 to May 1932. Jack Lang was therefore again Premier when he officially opened the East Hills line at Padstow Railway Station in 1931, with the section as far as Kingsgrove being a double track electrified line.

All platform buildings on the East Hills line were built to the same general design and plan, which was revised after initial planning to include a booking office, Station Master’s office and parcels office. The line was electrified from Kingsgrove in 1939, duplicated in 1948, and in 1987 the East Hills terminus was connected to the Main Southern Line at Glenfield Junction.

In 1931, the same year the East Hills line was officially opened at Padstow, the "Padstow Station Estate" for the suburb of Padstow was offered for sale, beginning the suburbanisation of the area.

In the post war period of the 1940s and 1950s migrant hostels and housing commission estates were developed in suburbs along the line.

Although the original terminus building at East Hills Station was demolished in 1987, the remainder of the East Hills Line from Turrella to Panania is the only line in Sydney with all platform buildings extant from its original construction phase (though some have been altered).

In 2003 major works at Padstow Railway Station involved building a large overhead booking office connected to the overbridge, a lift stairs and canopies linking up with the station building.

Construction work is underway in 2009 to upgrade the East Hills line generally for quadruplification of the line.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)

New South Wales theme

Local theme

3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies

Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements

Building the railway network-

4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities

Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages

Impacts of railways on urban form-

Assessment of significance

SHR Criteria a)[Historical significance]

Padstow Railway Station is of local historical significance as part of the East Hills line, a major 1930s Depression-era public work undertaken under the controversial premiership of Jack Lang (Premier of NSW 1925-1932 ) and through its relationship to the development of the suburb of Padstow and the broader East Hills region. The austere design of the platform building is reflective of the completion of the East Hills line as a Depression period unemployment relief works project.

SHR Criteria b)[Associative significance]

Padstow Railway Station is of local historical associational significance with the premiership of Jack Lang (Premier of NSW 1925-1932) as part of the East Hills line, an important Depression era public work of Lang's state government.

SHR Criteria c)[Aesthetic significance]

Padstow Railway Station is of local aesthetic significance as an example of a small Inter-War period suburban railway building matching other East Hills line railway station buildings in design and style. The building is very austere in style, with Inter-War Art Deco style touches (for example 3 projecting vertical lines of decorative brickwork to parapets) and is competently executed, exhibiting fine workmanship in its brickwork. The building is noted for its use of detailed monochromatic brickwork, stepped brick parapets, irregular fenestration and transition design features.

SHR Criteria d)[Social significance]

The place has the potential to contribute to the local community's sense of place, and can provide a connection to the local community's past.

SHR Criteria e)[Research potential]

Padstow Railway Station is of technical significance for its ability to demonstrate design and construction techniques of the Depression period (early 1930s). The buildings provide opportunity to study and understand mid-20th century building techniques.

SHR Criteria f)[Rarity]

Padstow Railway Station is not rare, as it is part of a group of 10 similar to identical Inter-War suburban railway stations completed in 1931 between Turrella and East Hills.

SHR Criteria g)[Representativeness]

Padstow Railway Station is representative of the collection of East Hills line railway stations built from Turrella to East Hills.

Integrity/Intactness:

Padstow Railway Station has been impacted by modern platform access and canopy structures and reroofing of the platform building in an unsympathetic manner. Padstow Railway Station, while being of the highest historical significance of any of the East Hills line stations (as the site of both the "Turning of the Sod" ceremony in 1927 and the official opening ceremony for the line in 1931), has the platform building with the lowest level of integrity (due to the loss of the parapet at the western end of the platform building, and also the bricking up of some window and door openings).

Recommended management:

1. Conservation principles: Conserve cultural heritage significance and minimise impacts on heritage values and fabric in accordance with the ‘Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance’.
2. Specialist advice: Seek advice from a qualified heritage specialist during all phases of a proposed project from feasibility, concept and option planning stage; detailed design; heritage approval and assessment; through to construction and finalisation.
3. Documentation: Prepare a Statement of Heritage Impact (SOHI) to assess, minimise and prevent heritage impacts as part of the assessment and approval phase of a project. Prepare a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) prior to proposing major works (such as new additions, change of use or proposed demolition) at all places of State significance and all complex sites of Local significance.
4. Maintenance and repair: Undertake annual inspections and proactive routine maintenance works to conserve heritage fabric in accordance with the ‘Minimum Standards of Maintenance & Repair’.
5. Movable heritage: Retain in situ and care for historic contents, fixtures, fittings, equipment and objects which contribute to cultural heritage significance. Return or reinstate missing features or relocated items where opportunities arise.
6. Aboriginal, archaeology and natural heritage: Consider all aspects of potential heritage significance as part of assessing and minimising potential impacts, including Aboriginal, archaeology and natural heritage.
7. Unidentified heritage items: Heritage inventory sheets do not describe or capture all contributory heritage items within an identified curtilage (such as minor buildings, structures, archaeology, landscape elements, movable heritage and significant interiors and finishes). Ensure heritage advice is sought on all proposed changes within a curtilage to conserve heritage significance.
8. Recording and register update: Record changes at heritage places through adequate project records and archival photography. Notify all changes to the Section 170 Heritage & Conservation Register administrator upon project completion.

Listings

Heritage Listing

Listing Title

Listing Number

Gazette Date

Gazette Number

Gazette Page

Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

Study details

Title

Year

Number

Author

Inspected by

Guidelines used

State Rail Authority Heritage Register Study

1999

SRA925

State Rail Authority

No

S170 Heritage & Conservation Register Update

2009

Paul Davies Pty Ltd

Yes

S170 Heritage & Conservation Register Update

2009

Paul Davies Pty Ltd

Yes

Heritage Platforms Conservation Management Strategy

2015

Australian Museum Consulting

Yes

References, internet links & images

Type

Author

Year

Title

Internet Links

Written

Padstow subdivision map information, catalogue.nla.gov.au

Written

Andrea Humphreys and Donald Ellsmore

2002

Inter-War Station Buildings

Written

Andrew J.P. Molloy

2004

Padstow : a brief history in photos

Written

Andrew Molloy

2004

The History of Padstow

Written

David Sheedy

2009

Historical Research for RailCorp S170 Register Update

Written

Frances Pollon (compiler and editor)

1996

The Book of Sydney Suburbs

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source

The information for this entry comes from the following source:

Name:

State Government

Database number:

4801925

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contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or
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Database Manager.

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